I pick up the remote from the sofa and take over the channel surfing while she eats. When she’s finished, she puts the empty bowl on the table and looks at me quizzically.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“Nothing, I…” the way she moves her mouth back and forth while she thinks about what she’s trying to say is adorable. “Can I lay on you?”
“Yeah,” I say, trying to appear unphased. “Sure.”
She lays her head on my lap, and my arm goes around her shoulder. I run my fingers up and down her arm as we lie there together. It feels right when she’s in my arms. We don’t speak anymore after that. I continue scrolling through the channels until I get tired of it. I stop on a rerun ofSons of Anarchyand put the remote on the sofa.
Before long, I hear the sound of deep breathing coming from her. When I peek down, I see her eyes are closed. I run my hand through her hair absent-mindedly, and she moans in her sleep. Just like that, I’m fully erect again and ready for action. I put my focus back on the show, which helps calm me down.
Kind of.
I’ve never seen this show before. Living the life, I didn’t feel the urge to watch it unfold on television, too. Now I’m glad I didn’t. It’s stupid. Shitty writing and completely unrealistic plot lines.
Also, none of us look like Charlie Hunnam.
Well, except Pretty Boy.
We stay like that until the show is over. Then, I ease her head from my lap and pick her up off of the sofa. Carrying her into her room, I place her on the bed and cover her up. Looking at the feathers all over the floor, I think back to the last time I was in here.
And how much has changed since then.
Iron is alive, and Sasha is mine. We may have gone to hell and back to get here, but I’d do it all over again just to be with her.
I pick up all the feathers and throw them in the trash can along with the fabric they used to be inside of. When I return to her room, I notice her cellphone on the dresser, and it gives me an idea. Once I’ve accomplished my mission, I strip down to my boxers and climb into bed with her. As soon as I lay down, she curls her body into mine, warming my skin as well as my heart.
* * *
The next morning,I wake up before Sasha. There’s a part of me who wants to stay like this forever, but then I’d never get to see her beautiful eyes again. She was glued to me all night long, her head barely moving from my chest. If she doesn’t want to stay overnight at the clubhouse, that’s fine by me, just so long as I can stay here. I’ve been lucky enough to sleep next to this remarkable woman for the past two nights, and I don’t want to go back to a lonely bed.
Sasha stirs, and I look down at her. When she wakes, she sits up quickly, realizing she’s not alone.
“Hi,” she says.
“Hey,” I smile.
“I didn’t realize you were spending the night,” she starts. “I guess you tucked me in? I don’t remember coming to bed last night.”
“Yeah, you passed out on the sofa, so I carried you to bed. Then, I cleaned up the mess I made the last time I was in here.”
She looks past me to her floor, where the feathers used to be.
“Thanks,” she mutters. “You still owe me another pillow, though.”
“You really need four pillows?”
“Yup,” she answers matter-of-factly.
“How are you feeling? Is your stomach still upset?”
“No, I actually feel a lot better. Thank you.”
“Good. It must have been the soup.” I wink at her.
“You like to toot your own horn a lot, you know that?”
I ignore that and turn toward her, propping myself up on my arm.